Day 6 - Tulum

Interesting day today - we woke up to sun shining and birds chirping and then during breakfast a small shower passed through.  We thought it might have been a fluke, but on the drive to Akumal to meet our cenote snorkel tour guide, it started POURING!

we can't see!

Luckily it stopped just as we drove into Akumal Pueblo, though our guide told us it's pretty cool to do the cenote tour in the rain.  Since the cenotes are underground, you can't tell what the weather is like outside until you hit the cave opening, and when it's raining, the rain comes through the trees and falls on you as you swim.  Back to the beginning, though - our guide was JP and he was great.  He was extremely knowledgable about the cenote, having been a guide for several years and having lived in Akumal for 15 years.  It turns out the cenote we chose, Santa Cruz Cenote, is owned by people who want to keep the area private, so they only allow a few small tours a day (as opposed to the bigger cenotes that are open to the pubic and have hundreds of people going through daily).  We were actually the only two people on our tour, so JP was able to spend a lot of time explaining how cenotes work, how they're formed, how old they are and why they are so special.  Just take a look at how amazing it was:

Small opening to the cave; climbing down steep steps

Inside one of many caves

bats!

the water is so clear

stallagtites

opening to the jungle above us

enjoying the view

pool at the jungle opening

more stallagtites

us :)

So happy from the tour, we asked JP for a lunch recommendation and he blew Andrew's mind with two simple words, "lamb tacos."  We hit up Maya Taco for lamb tacos (Andrew) and fish tacos (me).

After yesterday's thwarted snorkel attempt, we figured we should try out a known snorkeling lagoon nearby called Yal Ku.  We jumped in the water and swam a bit, but the water was a bit cloudy (likely from the rain) and because it was an area where fresh water met salt, the fresh water was really chilly.  I couldn't snorkel for long and we didn't see as much as we had hoped, so we booked it back to Tulum for a beer break.  We were going to try a well-reviewed restaurant called Hartwood tonight, but the sign said it was closed for a private event, so hopefully tomorrow!  Instead, we walked down the road to Casa Banana.  It was a great little place and Andrew had a giant steak and I had a whole fish.

outdoor wood-burning grill

large tree we sat under, with cool hanging lights

Tomorrow is our last full day and we're headed out to a highly recommended tour of Sian Ka'an, a nature preserve just south of the hotel.  Cross your fingers for manatees!  Can't wait!